La Gonâve Island
La Gonâve is a sparsely populated island off the Gulf Coast of Haiti, beginning at Port-au-Prince Bay, 40 km from Cabaret or Léogâne, and extending westward into the Gulf of Gonâve. The island is coexistent with the La Gonâve Arrondissement, one of the original Arrondissements of the Haiti.. Pointe-à-Raquette Commune shares the western half of the island, while Anse-à-Galets occupies the eastern half. More than half La Gonâve's residents live in Ville d'Anse-à-Galets. About Broadly speaking, "La Go" may refer both to the main island and the neighoring channel. North of the island is Canal de Saint-Marc, across which lie the Saint-Marc Arrondissement and the Arcadian Coast. To the south, La Gonâve Island is separated from the Miragoâne Arrondissement by the La Gonâve Canal. To the extreme west, lie the Windward Passage —which separate s Haiti from Cuba and Jamaica—and the Caribbean Sea. Both the longest and the largest island in the Hispaniola region, La Gonâve Island extends 60 km (37 miles) westward from Port-au-Prince Bay to Pointe Ouest, with a maximum north-to-south distance of 15 km (9 miles) between the two canals. With a land area of 743 km² (247 Sq. mi.), La Gonâve Island is the 17th largest island in the Caribbean and the 326th-largest island in the world, comparable in size to the island of Martinique. With a Census-estimated population of 87,077 in 2015, La Gonâve Island is the most populated of Hispaniola's satellite islands. Its population density is 126 inhabitants per square kilometer (327 per mi²). La Gonâve Island is culturally and environmentally diverse, featuring some of the richest and most exotic ecosystems in the Western Hemisphere near the shorelines as well as residential areas in all six of its municpal divisions. As a hub of offshore travel, La Gonâve Island is situated on the Windward Passage which is one of the world's most highly trafficked energy sea lanes. It's position in the center of the Caribbean makes it an ideal location to locate a cruise ship terminal to service the entire Caribbean from a single port. It has a natural deep seaport on its westernmost tip. Ferries connect Anse-à-Galets eastward across St. Mark's Channel to Arcahaie. The ferries operate daily between Ville d'Anse-à-Galets and Montrouis. Montrouis is located 70 km (40 mi.) from Port-au-Prince. In addition, it is served by the Anse-à-Galets Airport. Agriculture, fishing, livestock, and tourism play a significant role in La Gonâve's economy, including amenities such as immaculate white-sand beaches, turquoise water, access to marinas, and undeveloped land. History Early history The history of the island of Gonâve begins with an a massacre, one of the Queen Anacaona and her Taíno noblemen. The Taínos, being ill-treated by the Spanish conquerors, revolted and made a long war against them. After her assassination by the Spanish conquerors, the Indians fled to this island that they named Gonabo, which later became Gonâve. Gonâve was the last refuge of Native indians in Haiti. During the second half of the nineteenth century, this area fish attracted well-designed fishermen. It is unclear when the name "Gonabo" was discontinued. It is said that Anacaona loved to swim around Picmy. Contemporary history Gonâve's history follows a similar pattern established by mainland Haiti in the 19th century--its fondness for royal rulerships. In the mid-1920's, when U.S. military forces had occupied the island, the inhabitants crowned Sergeant Faustin E. Wirkus of the Marine Corps as King Faustin II. He ruled for four years before returning to the U.S. In 1976, a cyclone that devastated southern Haiti visited the island. Geography La Gonave is an asymmetric anticline with its axis extending northwest to southeast almost parallel to the mainland shore. Limestone forms the main geological component of La Gonave; however, there are darker, more iron rich soils in the highlands (reaching elevations of 778 m 2,552 ft). One of the most important physical features of La Gonave is an uplifted ridge coinciding with the Gonave Island Anticline. To the northwest of the ridge is the Plaine des Mapou. This area is named for having mapou trees (though few strands remain on La Gonave today) and contains the most fertile soils on the island. This enclosed depression is about 5 km long, 1 km wide and is completely encircled by limestone ridges. The entire site is used for agriculture. Climate The island has a bimodal annual precipitation pattern. The first rainy season lasts from April to June and the latter from August to October. Category:Ouest, Haiti Category:Haiti Islands